From the editor’s desk

Published: Monday, Sept. 24, 2012 2:36 p.m. CDT

After a summer of intense heat (and lots of personal complaining), I’m not even going to mention how I’ve been turning on the heat in my vehicle in the mornings and how the furnace kicked on at home. Actually, I love this sweatshirt/jacket type weather. Even though the sinuses don’t particularly care for it, there’s just something invigorating about a crisp fall day — something that makes you feel like you’ve got the world by the tail.

I attended an absolutely beautiful outdoor wedding on Saturday, where Daniel and Nicole (Townsend) Stroud tied that proverbial knot. With the warmth of love in the air, nobody even noticed the cooler temperatures. It was a beautiful day!

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Speaking of beautiful days, I was at the Hennepin Canal this past weekend. I frequent the canal quite a bit; it’s a peaceful place where Mother Nature envelops you in her arms. This past weekend, I saw campers, hikers, bicyclists, walkers, boaters ... What a wonderful resource in our own backyard. With fall upon, the Hennepin Canal is a great place to see a myriad of vibrant colors.

With the cooler weather, it won’t be long before those leaves start turning. Get your cameras ready, and don’t forget to share your fall photos with the BCR. You can email them to BCR Copy Editor Terry Himes at thimes@bcrnews.com. In addition to your photos, tell him where you took the photo and give him other pertinent information.

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What’s the BigDeal? Every week, the BCR offers you an opportunity to save some cash with our BigDeals! which can be found at www.bcrnews.com. Following are this week’s savings:

• Are your brakes squealing? Stop in at LaMoille Auto Care Center, and they’ll get you rolling again with one-half price labor on brake services for only $32.50. That’s a savings from the regular price of $65.

• Do those warm weather clothes feel a little bit snug? Get back in shape at Anytime Fitness in Spring Valley where you get a one-month membership pass for only $15. That’s a great savings from the regular price of $30.

• This deal only ends at 7 a.m. Wednesday, so act quickly if you want to participate. Get a $274.90 voucher for only $99.95 for a queen, deluxe stateroom (accommodates up to six people) at Key Lime Cove in Gurnee. This deal, which is good any day except Saturday, also includes six passes to the waterpark. (Please note there is a $30 upcharge for Saturday accommodations.)

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On behalf of the Bureau County Republican and myself, we’d like to offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of Danny Sissel of Princeton. Many of us at the BCR have worked with Danny throughout the years, and we found him to be honest, fun and possess a mountain of integrity. Our sympathy goes out to the Sissel family.

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In the past two weeks, I’ve had two different friends tell me of stray kittens they have found wandering alone and hungry in the countryside. These were tiny kittens — just a few weeks old — who were so thin you could count every rib in their little bodies. Fortunately for those kittens, my friends snatched them up, took them to the vet, got them shots and are feeding and loving them until they can find a permanent home for them.

What the heck! These kittens didn’t wander into the country. It is beyond me how someone can drive their car down a desolate country road and drop off a tiny baby kitten ... knowing its chances of surviving are slim to none. How do those people sleep at night? How do they look at themselves in the mirror? The thought of those poor kittens wandering around the country, starving, scared ... well, it just makes me sick.

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The BCR Open Contest is officially finished for the year. Our overall winners for the contest are Dennis Galetti Sr. of Seatonville; Cody Yelm of Princeton; and Linda Bacon of Princeton. Each of our winners receive a Callaway Golf Club from Pro Golf of Peru. Congratulations to all of our weekly winners as well, and thank you to everyone who played our pro golf contest this year.

Now it’s time to turn your attention to our Pro Pigskin Challenge. Enter today at www.bcrnews.com for a chance at weekly prizes from a variety of area businesses, including Turk Furniture, Combined Cleaning, Beck Oil, LaMoille Auto Care Center, Anytime Fitness, Lincoln’s Princeton Plaza and more.

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The second edition of our Illinois Valley Living magazine will be hitting the streets soon. Watch for it! You are going to love it! We heard so many great comments on our first edition, and I know this one won’t disappoint you. We’ve had so much interest in this product, that we’ve nearly double the size of the first edition. Great stories. Great photography. I know you are going to really enjoy it!

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Mark your calendars: The BCR will hold a candidates’ forum at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Bureau County Metro Center in Princeton for candidates running for Bureau County circuit clerk, Bureau County state’s attorney and Bureau County coroner. The public is encouraged to come and learn about your local candidates.

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It’s a busy time of year, and the holidays are just around the corner. This year, I’m going to try and get much of my holiday hoopla accomplished early, so I can actually enjoy the season. In the midst of the chaos, don’t forget to take some time for you and those you love. Breathe. Exhale. And remember ... you are important to me and the BCR.